History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c11.s1.t1.1

v1.c11.s1.t1.1

Before we discuss copper artifacts and their technology, it will be useful to mention the types of ores and their main locations in India. The main Indian copper minerals are (a) chalcopyrite (CuS.Fe₂S₃), (b) chalcocite (Cu₂S), (c) malachite (CuCO₃). Cu(OH)₂, and (d) azurite (2 CuCO₃.Cu(OH)₂). The major copper mines are located in the 80 km long Khetri belt in Rajasthan and the Singhbhum copper belt in Bihar, which is 130km in length. Other important deposits occur in the districts of Guntur, Arcot, and Kumaon (Brown and Dey 1955; Agrawal 1971). Sources in Baluchistan, such as Shah Maksud and Kalih Zeri, have also been mentioned as probable mines for Harappan copper (Sana Ullah 1931).